Quote from Savings Beagle on January 19, 2020, 11:33 am

The first thing I do before making any online purchase is check Cashback Monitor, an online shopping portal aggregator.

Cashback Monitor is a fairly reliable source for providing up-to-date cash back and Miles/Points earning opportunities for most retailers.

Whether your focus is on earning cash back, or adding to your airline miles or transferrable points (i.e. Chase Ultimate Rewards points) balances, Cashback Monitor lets you know the current earning rates for most programs for an individual retailer.

My two favorite cash back portals are:

• Top Cashback
• Rakuten

Both operate similarly, providing a percentage of cash back on purchases made at various retailers when you click through their shopping portal first.  The amounts of cash back change regularly, which is why Cashback Monitor is so helpful in finding not only the current rates being offered, but the best rates that are currently being offered.

And while the individual cash back amounts may not be huge, if you regularly use a specific site, the amounts of earned cash back can add up nicely over time.

Payouts from both Top Cashback and Rakuten are on predetermined schedules, so your earned cash back will accumulate until the next payout period...you won't get the earned cash back immediately after making a purchase.

If you're a Miles and Points hobbyist, Cashback Monitor helps you maximize your Miles/Points earning for your online purchases.  Which will help get you to your next free travel award redemption much more quickly.

One nice aspect of the Rakuten site is that you can choose to earn cash back or American Express Membership Rewards points when you connect your Membership Rewards points account to your Rakuten account.  Of course, Membership Rewards points can be used in a variety of ways, one of which is to transfer to airline and hotel travel partners to redeem for free award travel.

Many of us make online purchases on a regular basis.  Utilizing online shopping portals - whether they be cash back earning or Miles/Points earning - is a great way to save money or earn extra miles/points on purchases you're making anyway.

It only takes a few extra clicks to take advantage, so give these options a look and add them to your online shopping habit.

Your Online Shopping Portal Experiences

Rakuten and Top Cashback are just two of a number of cash back earning sites listed on Cashback Monitor.  What other cash back earning sites have you used?  And what did you like, or not like, about those specific sites?

Let us know your thoughts so that readers can benefit from your experiences.

*The Top Cashback and Rakuten links above are my referral links.  If you're new to either site and sign-up via the links, I'll receive a cash referral bonus.  And for Rakuten, new members will receive an additional $10 cash back when they spend $25 via the Rakuten site.  If you use my referral links, thank you!